"Apocalyptic" Melting Transpires in Antarctica as Earth Wraps Up a Scorching Year

Monday, 04 December 2017 17:35

The signs of runaway anthropogenic climate disruption (ACD) continue to mount with each passing month.

2016 saw a record surge in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, according to the World Meteorological Organization. This means that last year's increase was a stunning 50 percent higher than the average over the last decade. Scientists said this makes obtaining global temperature targets -- such as the often-mentioned 1.5°C and 2°C limits -- largely unattainable. The combination of the increase of CO2 and El Niño have driven atmospheric CO2 to levels not seen for 800,000 years.

How is this playing out around the planet?

The Arctic Ocean is now starting to look more and more like the Atlantic Ocean, a shift that is threatening to turn the entire Arctic food web on its head. This is due to the fact that the summer Arctic sea ice is melting rapidly and the waters are warming, leading to encroachment by animals from warmer climates and a reorganization of Arctic biodiversity.